Wake Me Up
by Krazy Ky-Sta Hatter
Summary: When a new Akuma haunts through the city, Marinette caught in the crossfire and ends up in the hospital. Unable to protect her, Chat Noir is ridden with guilt. He desperately needs to wake his friend, but he needs Ladybug's help... if only he could find her. When he tries to get a hold of her, he finds his situation is much more horrifying than he thought. He can't do this alone.
1. Lulla-bye

_**Hey!**_

 _ **So... this fic is basically pure angst, start to finish.**_

 _ **I kind of had this angsty idea of Adrien in the hospital with an unconscious Marinette, and the rest of the story just kind of got worse. Even the Akuma victim is depressing.**_

 _ **I have to say, I'm kind of proud of this. I'm not very good at fight scenes, but I think I did alright with this one... I may need help later though. Why are fight scenes so hard?**_

 _ **Anywhoo, I hope you like it!**_

* * *

.

.

.

 **Lulla-bye**

.

' _Hush little baby don't say a word._

 _Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird..._

 _And if that mockingbird won't sing,_

 _Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring..._ '

The sound echoed eerily around the streets, creepy and haunting. Marinette's head whipped about, searching for the source of the voice, the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. Something was wrong, she just new it.

Other people around her seemed to have sensed it too. They had all gone deathly quiet, looking around for the singer.

' _And if that diamond ring turns brass,_

 _Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass..._

 _And if that looking glass gets broke,_

 _Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat..._ '

Finally she spotted her, a woman floating slowly through the air, her mouth open as the haunting melody spilled from her lips. It almost seemed like the song itself was visible, like a fine silver mist that poured from her mouth and settled around the street, making her feel cold. It was an Akuma, no doubt. Her skin was pale as snow, a black veil covering her face. Most of her outfit was black, what looked like a sun-dress flowing seamlessly into the usual skin tight outfit at her arms. Music notes spiralled around the bust of her dress and faded out as they went down. Everything was accented with whites and greys... she had to be the most colourless Akuma Marinette had ever seen.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her purse and she pulled it out. This wasn't her normal phone, it was her Ladybug one. A phone that Chat Noir had brought her so that they could stay in touch as civilians without giving away their personal number. It was even decked out in a ladybug themed phone case.

She cursed when she saw that she'd already missed three texts from him.

' _There's an Akuma somewhere. They've put three people to sleep._ '

' _That's a fourth. She's kidnapping babies too! What the hell?!_ '

' _Found her! Following now. She's heading towards Champ de Mars._ '

And the latest one, ' _She's on Avenue Charles Floquet. Hurry!_ '

Oh yes, she knew that the Akuma was on that street. She knew very well, since she was right there. But there were too many people around for her to transform. She slipped the phone back in the bag beside Tikki, giving her a desperate look. She couldn't see anywhere private enough that was near by. And the Akuma was getting closer, her eyes now locked onto a woman with a pram near by.

' _And if that billy goat won't pull,_

 _Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull..._

 _And if that cart and bull fall down,_

 _You'll still be the sweetest baby in town..._ '

Baby... She was after the baby!

"Everyone! Get away, quick!" she shouted to them. "Stay together, get yourself somewhere inside. Block the exits!" Everyone just stared at her in shock a moment and she rolled her eyes in frustration. She really needed to talk to the mayor about an Akuma attack system to get the public to safety. "Now!"

At her shout, they snapped out their daze and started heading down the street. As soon as they started moving, though, the Akuma seemed to spring to life. No longer was she slow and haunting, like a sad ghost drifting through the town. Now she was blazing after them like some sort of terrifying spirit from a horror movie. She was heading right towards the woman with the baby, opening her mouth in a way that was different from her singing. Marinette knew that an attack was coming, and she tackled the mother to the ground, just as a strange sonic gust hit the road where she had been.

"Abbie!" the woman cried, reaching towards her child. Marinette got up, grabbing the baby from the pram before the Akuma could reach her.

"Forget the pram!" she yelled at the woman. "It will just slow you down, take Abbie and get to safety! She's after _you_!"

Before she could place the child back into her mother's arms, something black hit her, stealing her breath from her. But it didn't hurt, not overly. The black thing curled around her, protecting both her and the bundle in her arms as they rolled along the ground.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, Princess," came the breathy voice of her partner.

"Chat!" she said in response, just as breathless as him. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at the familiar blond haired boy. His usual smirk was on his face, but his eyes spoke of worry and concern. She gave him a small smile.

He climbed off her and gave her a hand up. It wasn't as easy as usual due to the baby in her arms. She could tell just by the look of her that she was new born, about a few weeks or so old. She didn't have the strength to support her own neck, so holding her was very awkward. She looked back towards Abbie's mother, only to gasp in horror. The woman was lying unconscious on the ground. She remembered what Chat had texted her. She was putting people to sleep. "Oh no!"

"Shit!" he hissed under her breath. He focused on the Akuma, who was now looking intently at Marinette. His eyes flicked away for a moment to look at the tops of the buildings, looking for something. "Where is she?" she heard him mutter. Her stomach sank. He was waiting for her. For Ladybug. "We need to get you and that kid somewhere safe, now!"

"What about the mother?" she asked.

"You first," he said adamantly. "She'll wake up when Ladybug cleanses the Akuma. But right now you've got the baby. She wants you." He grabbed her free hand, his eyes darting around frantically for a way out. This wasn't like when Max was after her. This Akuma was fast, and he couldn't risk turning his back on her for very long. Not until he had backup. "You sure do attract Akuma, don't you, Princess?"

"Well, I'm very attractive," she joked weakly.

"That is incredibly true," he told her, keeping his eyes fixed on the Akuma, who looked like she was going to attack soon. Marinette's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she was going to say something back, but just then, the Akuma spoke.

"I am Lulla-bye," she hissed. "And you will give my child back to me!"

Chat growled his stance in front of Marinette becoming even more protective. Ladybug wasn't showing up and he had to get Marinette to safety. He'd rather take her himself and make sure that she was alright, hiding somewhere Lulla-bye couldn't get her. But getting her out of there was more important than his peace of mind, and she only had a chance if he kept Lulla-bye busy.

"Mari, when I tell you to, you need to run. Run into the nearest building and barricade yourself in. I'll distract her. You just get yourself and the baby to safety, got it?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw her give a firm nod. His mouth set in a grim line. He would do all he could to protect her. Anything. He tried not to think about it too much, but he knew deep down that until he saw for himself that she was safe, he wasn't going to be able to focus on this job properly. He needed Ladybug here now. He couldn't stand to let anything happen to Marinette. _Especially_ not to Marinette.

He bent down into a crouch, his hands arms up and claws at the ready. He eyed Lulla-bye warily, ready to pounce. Lulla-bye was staring back at them just as intently, her black eyes only straying from Marinette to assess him.

"Go!" he suddenly hissed.

Everyone seemed to move at the same moment. Marinette turned tail and ran towards the nearest building, clutching the child to her chest. Lulla-bye shot after her, and Chat leapt to intercept her. He managed to grab onto her back and pin her down for a moment, but she opened her mouth and a ghastly, haunting wail filled the air. It was so loud, especially on Chat's sensitive hearing, that he dropped her to cover both his real and fake ears with a whine. Lulla-bye shot out from beneath him, determinedly racing towards her target. Quickly, he pulled his baton out, extending it into a staff in the same motion and threw it. It spun around in an arch, hitting the Akuma from the side and sending her careening back. He charged at her, pinning her to the ground. He only had to keep her occupied long enough for Marinette to get away. That was all. Just long enough for her to be safe. He would need Ladybug to take her down properly, after all. But he could make sure that she didn't get to Marinette.

Lulla-bye wailed again, but this time he gritted his teeth and tried to block the sound out as much as possible with his shoulders. He was forced to jump off her when she aimed one of those knock out blasts at him, but he didn't hesitate to go on the offensive as soon as he'd dodged it. For an Akuma who looked like her only weapon was her voice, she was surprisingly good at hand to hand combat. He fought tirelessly, his desperate need to protect his friend driving him harder than it ever had before. He never let her have the chance get ahead, constantly blocking her every chance he could. Unlike other Akuma, she didn't seem interested in beating him and grabbing his Miraculous. All of her attacks were purely to throw him off so that she could continue her charge forward. So, despite his efforts, they were slowly advancing towards the building Marinette was running to.

His eyes flashed back to Marinette. She was almost there, she was on the top step of the building, her hand on the handle. For a moment, her worried blue eyes connected with his and he sucked in a breath. Then he felt something hard connect with his stomach.

The wind was knocked from him as he found himself flying through the air. He tried to right himself, but the pain in his abdomen made the recovery clumsy and shaky. Suddenly, there was a loud crack. His head flashed white with pain and black spots bloomed across his vision. He was vaguely aware that his entire body hand impacted against something before falling to the ground. But he couldn't let the pain stop him. He had to help Marinette. He tried to stand, but even moving his head slightly caused the painful dizzying feel to get worse. The black spots intensified and he felt as if he was falling again. His claws dug into the concrete, trying to save himself from the imaginary fall, and he almost threw up. But the blackness didn't clear. It got thicker, and thicker, dragging him under no matter how much he tried to get back up.

One last thought passed through his mind before he slipped out of consciousness.

 _Marinette…_


	2. Sleeping Beauty

_**Hello everyone!  
So I've had a really decent week. My insomnia is back, but I'm in a good mood, so I don't care. I've been having fun and I'm really happy... which is ironic with how angsty this chapter is. Seriously this entire fic is just angst at this point.**_

 _ **But I really like this fic at the moment. Just be prepared for the sad.**_

 _ **(P.S. It's my birthday, so reviews, fan art, and your tears will gladly be accepted as gifts! ;D)**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

.

.

.

 **Sleeping Beauty**

.

The first thing Adrien was aware of was a severe pain in his head. He groaned as he forced himself awake, rubbing gingerly at the back of his head. A large egg had formed there and it was painful to the touch. The second thing he became aware of, was that he was no longer transformed.

Slightly panicked, he looked down at himself. He'd been transformed when the Akuma had hit him. Oh god, had she... His eyes flicked down to his ring and he sighed in relief when he saw it was still there. He found that very odd, but his head hurt too much to even think about why she hadn't taken it right now.

He was vaguely aware of Plagg saying something, gently nuzzling into his cheek as he tried to get him to focus.

But something was wrong. There was something he was forgetting. Something important. Something… horrible had happened, but he couldn't-

"Marinette!"

Roughly, he pushed himself to his feet, swaying and staggering as he struggled to stay upright. Plagg rushed to steady him, doing nothing more than smushing into his cheek. He ran back out into the middle of the street. It took effort to remain standing, but he had to find her. The mother of the baby was still lying where she fell. His head whipped about, looking for any sign of her, and the world spun sickeningly around him. The door. She had been by the door. He almost fell over a few times as he ran over to the door he had seen her at last. His head was throbbing, but he ignored the pain. Marinette. He had to get to Marinette.

He saw her limp figure sprawled across the stoop and his heart froze. Something hard formed in his throat, and this time he didn't stop himself from falling to his knees. He scrambled over to her pulling her limp form into his lap, cupping her face in his hand.

"Mari? Mari, wake up!" He gave her a light shake, not wanting to hurt her, but desperate for her to open her eyes. "Please! Come on, Mari, please wake up!"

"Adrien!" Plagg cried. The Kwami hurled himself at Adrien's head, making him cry out in pain. The boy realised that Plagg had been trying to get his attention for a while now. The little black Kwami looked at him sympathetically. "It's too late, kid. All we can do is get her somewhere safe and find where Ladybug is at. She won't wake up until the Akuma is cleansed." When he saw Adrien's upset and defeated look, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry kid."

"Th-this is my fault," he said, his voice quiet and cracked. "I should have protected her."

"You did everything you could," Plagg assured him. "That was a very strong Akuma, and you were alone."

"She shouldn't have even been there. She was trying to help someone else… She's always trying to help…"

"Come on, let's get her somewhere. Like the hospital or something with the rest of them."

Adrien nodded, taking his phone out. "Yeah, and the mother… I'm guessing the Akuma took the kid..." As he punched 112 into his phone, he looked at his Kwami to see him looking at Marinette, a grim and confused look on his face. "What is it?"

"I don't know. There's just this feeling I can't shake. I know my bad luck, and there is some seriously bad luck going on right now." His whiskers twitched and he looked about suspiciously.

Meanwhile, Adrien hit dial. He quickly got through to the call centre and he hurried to explain the situation. "Hello! My friend's unconscious and she she's not waking up. It was an Akuma attack. There's another lady too."

"Do they have any signs of injuries?" the woman asked. "Are they in a serious condition?"

"N-no, I don't think so. The Akuma had this power where she was just knocking people out. They're breathing just fine and everything. It's like their just asleep."

"Right, how long ago did this happen?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I kinda hit my head and passed out. When I came to they were both unconscious. The other lady, she had a baby, but the baby's gone."

"Alright, what is your location? We will send some ambulances to you."

"Ahh… We're on Avenue Charles Floquet. In between Avenue Joseph Boulevard."

The woman assured him that ambulances were being sent out and he thanked her before hanging up. Reluctantly, he left Marinette's side so that he could bring the mother over to the side of the path and lay her out more comfortably and safely. He lay Marinette near her. People from the buildings had noticed that the Akuma was gone now and were trying to help, bringing out blankets for the two unconscious woman and trying to keep him company. One nice lady and noticed that he had hurt his head and had brought him out an ice pack. Still, he held onto Marinette as he waited, stroking her hair away from her face.

It wasn't much later that two ambulances turned around the corner and drove over. They had obviously spotted the small crowd. The paramedics brought out stretchers and carefully placed the sleeping women on them.

"W-wait," he said, going over to the person putting Marinette into the ambulance. "Can I ride with her? Please? She's my friend and…" As he spoke his voice cracked and the paramedic looked at him in sympathy.

"Are you the boy that called?" He nodded, wincing when the movement made his head sting. "We were told you hit your head hard enough to fall unconscious. Jump in. I'll check you out on the way there."

"Thank you!" He smiled warily, accepting the woman's hand up into the back and sat down on the bench beside Marinette's unconscious form. The ambulance began to drive off and he watched as the paramedic checked Maranette over. She let out a heavy sigh and crouched down next to him.

"These two are the fifth and sixth cases of this attack," she said, sounding weary. "I hope Ladybug and Chat Noir catch the Akuma soon."

"Chat Noir was fighting against her before. He was trying to protect Marinette. But I got knocked out and when I woke up, everyone was gone and Mari was... she was..." His voice cracked again and tears welled up in his eyes.

"She'll wake up," the paramedic assured him. "She's just asleep, and Ladybug and Chat Noir haven't failed us yet. Now let's take a look at this bump." She carefully took the cold compress away from his head and gently felt the lump that protruded from the back of his skull. "Yikes, that's a big bump." She took out a small torch and got him to look at her as she shone it in his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a bus," he replied. He knew there was no point in lying or downplaying how he felt. It was best just to tell medical staff everything. "I have a massive headache. And I feel tired and a little sick. And dizzy. Very, very dizzy. It was hard trying to make my way over to Marinette."

"Do you have blurred or double vision?"

He nodded, immediately regretting it. "Just a little."

"What's you're name?"

"Adrien. Adrien Agreste."

"And hers? We're going to need her details."

"Her name's Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her parents are bakers. I don't know their number, but her friend does. ...Oh god. I'm going to have to tell them about this." The colour drained from his face and he felt even more sick. They loved their daughter so much. This would be horrifying for them.

"Don't worry about that. They can contact her parents at reception. I'm sure the number will be in her medical file. Can you do me a favour and tell me what year it is?"

He hesitated a moment. Year? Why did she want to know the year? What even was the year? He tried to think, but damn, his head really hurt. Eventually, the answer came to him. "Um... two thousand and fourt- no, hold on... sixteen? 2016?"

She nodded. "Adrien, you have a minor concussion, so I'm going to give you some painkillers for now. And you can rest when we get to the hospital, alright?"

"Oh... okay," he said. A concussion? Did that mean he wasn't allowed to sleep? Because he was feeling very sleepy.

Suddenly a loud sound filled the ambulance and his head exploded in pain. The paramedic looked about, searching for the source of the noise, finding a phone in Marinette's pocket. "Do you know an Alya."

Adrien gulped, his throat feeling dry. "Yeah," he rasped. "It's her best friend."

She held the ringing phone out to him. "She'd be better hearing this from you."

With a shaking hand, he grabbed the phone and accepted the call. As soon as he placed the phone to his ear, Alya was already talking.

"Oh my god, girl! You are not going to believe this! There's a new Akuma and-"

"Alya..."

There was a pause. "...Adrien? What are you doing with Marinette's phone?"

"Umm... there's – there's been an accident." His throat felt tight and it was a struggle to push the words out. "That Akuma. She attacked us. Marinette's unconscious. We're in an ambulance heading to the hospital now."

"WHAT?! What happened?!" came the panicked reply. Her voice was so shrill he had to hold the phone away from his ear. "Which hospital? Where are you going?!"

"Ow! Alya, stop! Um..." He looked up at the paramedic questioningly. "Which hospital are we going to?"

"Hôpital Necker," she replied.

"Hôpital Necker," he repeated back to Alya. "And Alya, sorry, but can you keep it down a bit? Apparently I have a concussion and that really hurt."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, lowering her voice.

"Can you call her parents? They said they'll call them when they get to the hospital, but they should know as soon as possible."

"Y-yeah, I'll do that..." Her voice wobbled and it sounded like she was about to start crying. "M-me and N-Nino will head there now and meet you, okay? And then you can tell me everything that happened."

"Alright," he agreed. He hung up, hesitantly putting the phone in his pocket.

After that, the ride to the hospital was fairly quiet. The paramedic had asked him a few more questions, including if he wanted to call a family member. But it wasn't worth bothering his father about this, so he shook his head.

When they arrived, he was a little upset to see there wasn't much of a rush to get Marinette inside and set up. But he understood why. Her life wasn't in danger and there was nothing they could do. She would sleep until the magic that kept her under broke. For a moment he entertained the idea of kissing her and waking her from her sleep, breaking the spell like she was Sleeping Beauty. Heck, Ladybug had admitted that she'd done that to save him once. But he had a gut feeling that it wouldn't work. Luck wasn't on his side.

He was taken alongside Marinette to a room that he knew was in the same ward as the other Lulla-bye victims. A chair was dragged up beside her bed and he was instructed to sit down and rest, and call for a nurse if he felt worse. They rattled off a short list of symptoms he may encounter and told him that it would be better if he didn't sleep for a few hours. Plagg took it upon himself to make sure that he stayed awake, poking him, pulling his hair, and being just down right annoying. So by the time that Alya and Nino arrived, panting and frantic, he was in a thoroughly bad mood. Alya ran over to Marinette right away, her name on her lips and tears in her eyes at the sight. Nino came and stood near him, asking if he was alright. The answer was a very solid no.

It wasn't much longer that her parents arrived, they had been a little slow considering they'd had to close the bakery to come. He felt a little pang in his chest at that. His father probably wouldn't even come, let alone cancel anything so he could see him. He'd give anything to have a family like that sometimes.

The Doctors came and gave them all a brief description of what was happening to Marinette, but it all basically boiled down to 'she was in a magically induced coma and they were keeping her and the others here for observation. There was nothing they could do. Not until Ladybug and Chat Noir did something'. Then they had left the room again, leaving it quiet and thick with sorrow.

"So, what happened?" Alya asked quietly, still holding her friend's hand as tears silently tracked down her cheek.

He sighed, looking down uncomfortably. He hated lying… which was rich coming from someone who lied to everyone every day. "There was an Akuma attack," he started. "Some lady called Lulla-bye. I'd just seen Marinette when she came along, and we started trying to get everyone out of the area and into the houses before anything could happen. But she started targeting this mother, and Marinette stayed back a bit to help. She was trying to get her to ditch the pram. That's when Chat Noir showed up. He saved Marinette and the baby from being knocked out, but the mother got hit. And the Akuma really seemed to want the baby, so she kept attacking Marinette. Chat Noir tried to keep her busy fighting him until we could escape into a building. But something hit me and I got smacked into the wall and passed out. When I woke up Chat, Lulla-bye and the baby were gone, and Marinette was…"

They all looked sadly towards the bed where she lay. Everyone was quiet again for a while, the only sound was the steady – though slightly elevated – beep of the heart monitor they'd hooked her up to. Everyone looked positively dismal. Her parents seemed incredibly anxious, they whispered away to each other quietly, and though his head was still buzzing he did hear them say something about Ladybug and Chat Noir. What was weird was that he could practically sense how quiet Plagg was. It wasn't just that he had to be quiet to not blow his cover, but it seemed like something was worrying him. Like he'd realised something that was actually making him anxious. He'd noticed that even when Plagg had been trying to keep him awake, even though he was being _really_ annoying, he still seemed more subdued than usual.

It was astounding how dark the world became without Marinette's light.

Yet again, Adrien looked at his Chat phone. He'd been sending random messages to Ladybug, trying to stress how urgent the situation was. As the time went on, he got more and more stressed.

' _My Lady, she attacked again. I urgently need help!_ '

' _Ladybug, are you there?_ '

' _Are you alright?_ '

' _Seriously, is something wrong? You never take this long to respond._ '

' _Please, Ladybug, I'm getting really desperate. A friend of mine has been hurt._ '

' _The Akuma knocked her out. She'll be in a coma until we defeat her, so please, PLEASE look at your phone and let's go!_ '

' _Damn it, Ladybug! She's not waking up, and I need her to wake up! I think I might be in love with this girl, and I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't wake up._ '

' _Where the hell are you?!_ '

' _Please._ '

By the last message, his hands were shaking so bad that Nino had started to notice. "Hey, bro. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he lied, his throat tight and his voice sounding raspy. "I... I think I just need a water."

"I'll go grab you one." He stood to leave, but Adrien stopped him.

"I can do it myself, Nino!" His friend looked at him in shock at the sudden outburst. "Sorry. Thanks anyway, but I feel like stretching my legs. I was told not to fall asleep for a few hours, and I'm in danger of that happening. So I should move for a bit."

He pushed himself out the chair and was almost happy to note that the world didn't spin half as much as it did before, and his blackout was only momentary. His friends just looked at him in concern as he left. Out side of the room, Sabine gave him a half-hearted, sad smile. It took him a moment to catch up on why this seemed weird. He hadn't even noticed them leave the room. He reflected her smile back at her, then carried on down the hall.

He managed to find an area nearby that had almost no one around and he grabbed the phone and hit call. There was only one person who's number was on this phone, and he paced anxiously as he waited for her to pick up.

"Come on, come on, come on!" he muttered. "Pick up, Ladybug. _Please!_ '

The phone rang.

And it rang.

And it rang, until he couldn't stand it anymore. There wasn't a voicemail set up, so it would just ring until he hung up. And despairingly, he did so.

Something was _really, REALLY_ wrong. Ladybug had _never_ not answered her phone. She'd never left it behind or neglected it. She had always answered his texts immediately, even the stupid non-Akuma related ones. Until today, that was.

He made his way back to the room, anxiety tying his gut into knots. What if something had happened to Ladybug as well? No, he couldn't think like that. He had to help Marinette, and he could only do that with her help. Besides, she could take care of herself. He just had to go find her.

"Oh my god!" Alya's faint gasp made his head snap up as he entered the room.

"No way," Nino said, his voice flat as he stared at the phone in Alya's hand.

Adrien felt all his breath rush out of him. He recognised that phone. He recognised from the model, down to the custom ladybug patterned cover. He recognised that phone because he was the one who had brought it. He was the one who had given it to Ladybug so that they could keep in contact if they got in trouble.

And if Ladybug's phone was here and she wasn't...

His eyes flicked to Marinette.

 _No_...


	3. Breathe

_**Hey!**_

 _ **Welp, this chapter actually has quite a chipper ending for something that is so solid in angst! These babies are in for a lot of surprises. I just can't wait to get back to Lulla-bye in the next chapter. (Though, there's going to be another fight scene, and I suck at those. Anyone got any advice?)**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

.

.

.

 **Breathe**

.

Adrien struggled to breathe, the shallow breaths he was taking not carrying the oxygen to his lungs. His gut clenched with dread as he stared at the phone in Alya's hand. His eyes flicked to Marinette again and he shook his head, not willing to believe what his brain was trying to tell him. It all made sense, but he refused to accept it. Because if he was right… if he was right…

"What's that?" he asked, his voice strained. His mind was screaming, pleading for Alya to tell him that she just happened to get a phone that looks exactly Ladybug's, or that she had found it left on a table somewhere, or something like that. Anything but the truth.

"I found it in Mari's bag," she said quietly, sounding both awed and horrified. "It was ringing. Ch-Chat Noir was calling her."

"Dude, he's been texting her," Nino breathed. "You won't believe this."

"Please don't," he whimpered so quietly he wasn't sure the others heard him. He was sure that he was incredibly pale right now, and he wanted to sit down. He knew what he was going to say, and he didn't want to hear it. Hearing it would make it real...

"She's Ladybug," Nino went on, his voice shaking a little. "Chat Noir is texting her and calling her Ladybug."

"I can't believe this," Alya murmured. "I can't… she can't be." She looked over at her friend in horror. "She can't be Ladybug, because if she is then she can't purify the Akuma and…"

"She'll never wake up," Adrien finished. His voice cracked and he started walking towards her, a dumbfounded look on his face and a tear rolling down his cheek. This couldn't be happening. He fell down into his chair, reaching out towards her, his hand clutching her limp one tightly.

"I wonder who the girl is," Nino was saying quietly. "The one who got hurt. Do you think she's here?"

"Nino…" Alya said, staring at Adrien and Marinette, sad eyes widening in realisation.

"Does that mean that Chat Noir is here too?"

" _Nino_."

"Oh my god, what if Marinette is the one he…" He finally seemed to notice what Alya was staring at and his breath left him as it clicked. "Oh."

Tears were streaming down Adrien's face as he stared at Marinette. She was so still and pale. If it weren't for the shallow rise and fall of her chest, anyone could have mistaken her for dead. It was shattering to see her like this. His Princess. His Lady. How had he not noticed sooner? Why had he not tried harder to save her?

"This is my fault," he croaked, repeating his words from earlier.

"Adrien, no…" Alya said.

"I didn't… I couldn't…" He looked down at the floor in shame before he turned back to the girl on the bed. "Please wake up," he begged her. "Please, Mari. I can't do this without you. I can't… She has to wake up. T-there has to be some other way. There has to – She can't-" The room was so quiet that the beeps of the machine were painfully clear, and you could easily hear Adrien's elevated breathing.

"Adrien, slow your breathing," a small voice commanded, making Alya and Nino look about in confusion. The voice was so quiet they were sure that they weren't supposed to hear it. "You're starting to hyperventilate. Don't hyperventilate, purr!"

"P-purr?" Nino questioned.

"Yes!" the voice said, much louder now. "Purr! It helps relieve stress, promotes healing… Look, purring is good, okay?!"

"Who is even-"

"P-Plagg?" another voice piped up. It was small and broken, almost sounding like it belonged to a child. It was accompanied by sniffling and a quiet sob.

"Tikki…"

The other two watched in astonishment as a small black creature popped out of Adrien's jacket. The boy didn't even have the energy to look annoyed or angry that it had just exposed him. It drifted down through the air and landed on Marinette's chest. They watched as a similar looking red creature crawled out from where she had been hiding in the nook of Marinette's shoulder, under her hair. Her bright blue eyes were large and filled with tears. The poor little thing look devastated as she made her way to the black Kwami.

Plagg was uncharacteristically serious, taking Tikki in his arms with a sad, understanding look. One of his arms stroked at Tikki's back as she let out a shuddering sob. He didn't say anything. He knew exactly what she was going through. They'd both been through it so many times, and there was nothing you could say. He couldn't promise her that everything would be alright, that her girl would pull through. He couldn't tell her that, because there was no guarantee. And he refused to give her condolences. Her girl wasn't gone yet, and he wasn't going to be negative in anyway when she was in such a fragile state. All he could do was hold her and comfort her.

"I'm here," he said quietly.

"Sh-she didn't have time," Tikki cried. "She didn't have time t-to transform. I c-couldn't do _anything_. I couldn't help her! She – she's my… I can't lose her, Plagg! She's st-still so young. I can't lose another one. I can't, I can't, I can't!"

"Tikki, shh," he hushed her, still stroking her as large tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I can't lose her. I can't loser her," the red Kwami whimpered quietly. A gentle rumble started to come from Plagg. A purr. A comforting sound that lulled around her as he attempted to sooth her.

"Wh-what are those?" Alya eventually breathed, breaking the silence the humans had given them. She had seen the red creature before in Marinette's room, but she had thought it was just a toy. It was a bit of a shock to see it moving, and talking, and letting out heart shattering cries over her best friend.

"That's Plagg and… um, Tikki," Adrien told them, his voice quiet and hollow. Empty. It was as if a quietness had fallen over the room, and speaking loudly would cause everything to crumble and shatter. "They're Kwami. They're part of what let us tr-" He cut himself off a moment before taking a deep breath and continuing. "What lets us transform into Ladybug and Chat Noir. They're our companion. They're with us constantly. They're one ones that chose us."

"S-so… you really are…" Nino's words hung in the air a while before he finally nodded. "But… you said you were knocked out."

"I was."

"Just, not as Adrien, right?" Alya guessed. "You were trying to protect her as Chat Noir when you were knocked out." He nodded again. "And you didn't know? You didn't know who she was?"

"No, she didn't want us knowing who the other was."

"M-Marintte was always scared that if s-someone found out she was Ladybug that Hawkmoth would hurt them," Tikki said. "She di-idn't want anyone to g-get hurt because of her. Especially you, C-Chat."

Adrien didn't say anything in reply, clenching his eyes closed as if he were in pain. His free hand curled into a fist, his knuckles going white.

"What are we going to do?" Nino asked. "She can't wake herself up, and as far as we know, you can't purify the Akuma. So, what can-"

"I don't know, Nino!" Adrien yelled. His voice echoed loudly around the room, a stark contrast to the previous quiet. His eyes closed tight again for a moment before he hung his head, staring at the ground. "Sorry."

"It's okay, bro."

"Seriously, don't worry about it, Adrien. We understand if you snap," Alya said kindly. Her voice was still quiet and sad, but she was now attempting to be strong for him. He looked like he was about to fall apart. "This is… horrible. You're stressed and scared, and you have a concussion. Irritability is a common symptom with concussions."

"Wait, is is?" Nino said. She nodded.

"Still, I'm sorry," he told them. He took a breath. "Nino's right. I can't purify the Akuma. I can only capture them. I make them powerless until Ladybug can purify them. I haven't had to do it in ages, because she's always been there... I can't fix this. I can't just set everything back to how it was. That's not how my powers work. I _destroy_. That's all I'm good for."

"You know that's n-not true," Tikki spoke up. "You mean more than you could possibly know to her, and she would be telling you _just_ how wrong you were if she were awake! You have saved her so many times before. She trusts you more than anyone else in the world. She believes in you!" Adrien stared at the small creature with wide eyes, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall again. He watched as she deflated from her rant and clung to Plagg. "I can purify the Akuma if you catch it, but that still won't help." Her lip trembled, but she held back her tears, trying to finish explaining. "I can only purify the creature of evil. That won't fix anything. It won't fix any physical damage, it won't turned the Akumatized woman back to normal, and it w-won't wake Marinette and the others up. That's a power that Marinette and I can only do _together_ , like Lucky Charm, or yours and Plagg's Cataclysm. Even if we did do that, th-there's nothing I can do..." Her tears finally over flowed and she burred her head into Plagg.

"Yes there is," Plagg said after a moment. He looked sad. Solemn. Adrien had never seen his Kwami look so serious before. "I think that... I think this is one of those situations that allow us to break the rules."

"P-Plagg, I couldn't!" she gasped. "There's a reason that's forbidden! We-"

"She won't wake up unless you give it a try. Your only other option is choosing a new bug, and we both know that no one here wants that. You won't be able to go back to Marinette, and even then, training the new bug will take a while, and it could be months before she even wakes up. But if you try. If you just try. There's a chance you _could_ wake her up from the inside. No one will fault you for wanting her back. Call it an emergency situation... or blame it on me. I don't care, it's worth it, isn't it?"

Tikki stared at him, her head cocked slightly and an unreadable expression on her face. Despite that, it was still easy to tell that she was torn. Whatever Plagg had suggested was a difficult choice.

"W-what do you mean 'wake her up from the inside'?" Adrien asked. "Do you mean like... transform? I thought that required the phrase, along with us focusing, channelling, and directing the magic. Would it even work when she's unconscious?"

"That is how it works," Tikki told him. "You're right, we can't transform without our chosen initiating it. And Marinette can't do that right now. What Plagg is talking about is something quite different. Something we were forbidden from doing for the privacy and safety of our chosen. He thinks I can wake her up by going into her mind."

"Wait, going into her mind? What, like some some sort of Professor X thing?"

"If you want something geeky to compare it to, then sure," Plagg said. "It's not like we can do it with anyone. Just our chosen. There's already a link between our minds. A bond between Kwami and their chosen. The same one that allows us to work together the way we do. The one that lets us Kwami see, hear, and feel what they do when we're transformed. There have been some issues in the past, but that was just with doing this casually, not in a dire situation like this. Tikki can go into her mind and try and wake her up from there. It does depend on how strong the Akuma is, and if Tikki can actually reach her. But we're going to find a way to wake her up, okay?" The last part he said firmly, telling them that there was no way they were giving up on Marinette. Trying to assure them that they could do it (so stop moping).

"What if I can't do it?" Tikki said quietly.

"Then we'll find another way to get through to her," he said simply. "But first you have to try."

He put a comforting paw on her back and lead her up to Marinette's face. Tikki took a deep, shaky breath, then pressed her forehead to the sleeping girl's. She closed her eyes, and slowly the spot on her head began to glow. And she stayed like that.

Long minutes ticked by, marked by the continuous beeping of the heart monitor. Everyone stood completely still, breaths held in anticipation. One could have easily mistaken them for statues if it weren't for the tension in the room. They waited. Waited for anything. For Marinette to stir…

Suddenly Tikki jumped back with a shrill scream. Plagg rushed to her and instantly took her in his arms. She was breathing hard, almost hyperventilating, and tears were once again streaming down her face. "So – so much blood!" she whimpered. "So many. They were – We couldn't – All dead. Dead. We couldn't- So much-"

"Tikki! Tikki, shh!" Plagg hushed her frantically. He held onto her tight.

"What?! What's going on?!" Alya cried.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked at the same time.

"It was a dream, TIkki. It was just a dream. She was dreaming. Calm down!"

"What happened?!" came a cry from the door. They all turned to see an ashen faced Sabine, Tom close behind her. They took in the scene before them, before her eyes fell on the two Kwami and her face crumbled. "Oh, Tikki!"

"Wait, what?" Adrien said in surprise.

"W-what?" Tikki sniffled, seeming just as shocked.

"Is she alright?" she worried, scooping the Kwami up and cupping her in her hands. Tikki was so bewildered she stopped crying completely. "Hold on, do all of you know too? Oh… there's another one."

"Wait… you… know that she's Ladybug?" Adrien asked.

"Of course," Tom answered. "What kind of parent doesn't notice their child sneaking out at night, or gaining mysterious bruises."

"Or when we gain an adorable new family member, even if she does try to hide herself." Sabine smiled, gently stroking TIkki's head with a finger.

Adrien's eyes flicked to the ground, a scowl growing on his face. His father. That's what kind of parent wouldn't notice all those things. Heck, the man was even informed of bruises that were appearing between photo shoots, and the only response he got was 'get the makeup team to cover them'.

"You're him, aren't you?" a soft voice startled him out of this thoughts. He looked up to see Tom looking at him in sympathy. "You're Chat Noir." He gave a small nod. "Thank you."

"Huh?"

"We've seen the two of you fight together, we know just how hard you try to protect her. Even today, you were badly hurt trying to protect her. It's not – it's not something we think kids your age should have to go through, but you still do. And you keep her safe. So thank you."

Adrien opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. What _was_ he even supposed to say? That he protected her because he loved her more than anything and would willingly put his life before hers? Because the world needed her. It needed her more than it need him.

"I didn't think Marinette had told anyone. Not willingly, anyway," Sabine said.

"Ugh… she didn't," Nino said. "We all found out like… ten minutes ago when Adrien tried to call Ladybug."

"Even you?" she questioned Adrien, a little perplexed.

He nodded. "Yeah. She thought it would be safer to keep our identities secret from everyone. Even each other."

Tom let out a whoosh of breath, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Is there anything you can do? I know that she usually fixes everything at the end, but is there anything at all?"

"We just tried to wake her up by sending Tikki into her mind. It didn't work this time. Hi, I'm Plagg, by the way. Do you have any cheese?"

"Plagg! Not now!"

"But I need it!" he whined.

"Wait, what do you mean 'this time?'" Alya pressed, sounding almost hopeful.

"The Akuma is very strong," Tikki said, her voice faint. "She's been forced into horrible, horrible nightmares. I couldn't reach her." She shivered as she remembered the nightmare she had witnessed and Sabine hugged her close.

"Which means we need a weaker Akuma and more strength getting through to her."

"Alright, how do we do that?" Adrien said, a determine look on his face.

"Well, for one thing, we're _going_ to get me some _cheese_. _Then_ we're going to go get that Akuma. Once the Akuma's been removed from the victim, she'll be powerless. Well, mostly. Everything will still be affected. But it will be weak." He nodded. "And there may be a way that I can join with Tikki to reach Marinette."

"No, but he can't!" Sabine gasped. "He's injured! He has a concussion."

"Not to mention Ladybug isn't there for backup," Alya added.

"It will be fine," Plagg waved them off. "Adrien's strong enough. Both of them can hold their own in a fight. We chose them for a reason… well, many reasons, but that's beside the point. And once he's transformed that concussion will heal up in minutes. Advanced healing, and all."

"Okay, then. What are we waiting for?" Adrien pushed himself up off the chair.

"Bro, you sure you're okay to do this?" Nino asked, looking very concerned. He was starting to feel better, but he obviously didn't look it.

"Well it's not like I can't do it. Mari needs to wake up. I _need_ her to wake up. And the only way that will happen is if I go out there and get Lulla-bye's Akuma. And every moment I wait, she's going around putting more mothers to sleep, and kidnapping more babies. And every moment I wait longer is another moment that Marinette has to deal with being trapped in a nightmare! So I kind of don't care how I am right now. Waking Marinette up is what's most important right now." He was met by varying looks of alarm and concern. "What?"

"Dude, you're kinda self-destructive, you know that right?" He just shrugged. "Are you always this reckless when it comes to her?"

"Ah, sometimes. But I only ever do what's necessary. Look, guys, I'm fine." He gave them a weary smirk, imploring them all to believe him. "I'm feeling a lot better. And Plagg is right, as soon as I transform this concussion is going to be gone in a few minutes. Physically, I'll be fine. I won't do anything stupid, I promise. Ladybug may be the brain behind the plans, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Besides, I've been following this Akuma all day. I know the deal."

Alya tilted her head, her journalistic side piquing. "Okay, I believe you. What's the deal with this Akuma. Maybe we can help."

Adrien smiled, relief washing over him. "Her name is Lulla-bye. She can fly, she's fast, she sings lullabies that either make you feel sleepy or terrify you, and she has some sort of sonic blast that does this to whoever it hits." He gestured to Marinette. "Whatever got her Akumatized has something to do with babies. She's got six victims so far. The first was a man we suspect is her husband. The police couldn't get hold of his wife when they tried to inform her, so… Other than Marinette, the rest are all mothers, none of their children are older than a month. Lulla-bye has them. Going by the fact that she didn't take my Miraculous when she knocked me out, I'm thinking that she went after the baby first. She puts the babies before anything else. They're her weakness."

"Okay," Alya said with a nod. "Me and Nino will see what we can find out, See if we can find anything that could help, right Nino?"

"What? Oh, yeah, right! We're totally keen to help, dude. You don't have to do this alone just because Ladybug's hibernating… uh, in summer." Alya elbowed him harshly in the ribs and groaned out a sheepish 'ow'.

"We'll take care of her," Sabine assure him. "And Tikki too. It will be nice to finally talk to her." She walked over to him and cupped his cheek with a warm hand. "We know you'll do amazingly."

He blinked up at her, startled by the affection she was giving to him. He wasn't really used to it anymore, and he hadn't expected to have it come from someone who barely knew him. But still, he could feel the love she held for him. It warmed his heart and he gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks," he breathed. "I promise I'll bring the Akuma back as soon as I can. We _will_ wake her up."

"We know you will," Tom said kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Right, Plagg-" He suddenly noticed a lack of a certain black Kwami. "...Plagg?"

"Just a moment!" his muffled voice called from the corner. "Unlike you, that paramedic lady remembered to grab your bag. I'm almost done eating. We're going to need all the strength we can get." He emerged from the bag, tossing half of a cheese wheel in the air and downing it whole. Then he sighed and rubbed his belly. Adrien shook his head in exasperation.

He was about to call for him again, but instead of heading towards him, Plagg drifted over to Tikki, who was still sitting in Sabine's hand. He nuzzled her, mumbling something to her in a lilting language that he didn't understand. It was more sounds than words, but still he understood the comfort it held. Tikki smiled gently at him before pressing her lips to his forehead. He could have sworn that his Kwami blushed, what else could that purple hue on his cheeks be? And that goofy smile...

"Okay, I'm good!" he called excitedly.

"Right. Plagg, Claws Out!" He felt the magic of the transformation wash over and through him, and within seconds he felt himself in his comfortable leather suit. When he opened his eyes, everyone was staring at him in awe.

"That was seriously cool!" Nino breathed. Adrien just winked, gave a two finger salute, then jumped out the window.

He was going to kick this Akuma's ass.


End file.
